Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally

Rating: T

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Romance

I'm such a bitch.

First and foremost, I have no idea if you hate me or not, but naada (sorry, the damn thing won't let me type in your full penname), I'm so sorry. I said I was going to post something, like, how many months ago was it? Way back in the beginning of May, so...Four months ago? God. I am so, so sorry. I can't apologize enough for the major delay.

Honestly, I have no excuse, really. I just couldn't find it in me to post this story. Though, my feeble attempt at an excuse is that I've been busy writing a bunch of other stuff, too.

For those of you waiting on the Five Days sequel, I'm so sorry! I still have a lot of work to do because I'm not exactly sure where to pick up. I've got an idea, but I would appreciate your suggestions.

Anyway, I know I suck, so...Here's my pathetic one-shot.

By the way, I did my best, but the legal parts of this story may be incorrect. Sorry.

Running. Panting. Shivering.

She runs down the streets, races down the alleys, and careens around the corners, but still, her pursuers follow her, their footsteps loud on the empty road. She tears down a back alley, but at the end is a dead end. She whips around, watching in horror as two shapes appear at the start of the alley, their shapes illuminated by the full moon's light.

She quickly backs up, but soon, she's pressed against the wall. Her pursuers advance, taking it slow because they know they have her.

She shuts her eyes tightly, her lips moving silently as she sends up a quick prayer. Her palms press harder against the wall, as if willing it to crumble. Time ticks by agonizingly slowly as they draw nearer, their stench of blood penetrating her senses.

She holds her breath while they breathe heavily. She pushes against the wall while they pull out their knives. She has her eyes shut while they have theirs wide open.

She hears a sudden swish in the air and flinches, anticipating the slice that will strike her across the throat like their other victims. She waits for it...

She gasps, jolting upward in her bed, heart pounding wildly. Instantly, her hands fly up to her throat, and like always, it's perfectly smooth, with no trace of a cut or scar.

Nothing happened. She's safe.

Shakily, she slips out from under her blankets and swings her legs over the edge of her bed. Moonlight is filtering in through her window to her left, and she watches as the tree outside her window showcases its leaves, the action displayed on her floor by its shadow.

It was just a dream, she tells herself, but she knows better. It could have happened if the police hadn't found her first.

It was just a few weeks ago. She had been walking home from Sonic Boom late at night, and she stumbled across two guys just as they slit their victims' throats. She remembers screaming, which was stupid, but it was her natural response. They immediately whipped around and started chasing her, but they weren't as fast as her. She accidentally crossed paths with an officer out on a midnight patrol, and once she explained what she saw, the officer called for backup. As he did, her pursuers came around the corner, but as soon as they saw the policeman, they ran. The officer quickly loaded her into his car and chased after them.

They were caught by two other squad cars and put in jail. The judicial system, surprisingly, processed them quite quickly, and, also surprisingly, the two men pled guilty, so they were sentenced immediately instead of going through a trial, which was a relief to her because that meant she didn't have to testify. Since they pled guilty to first degree murder, they received a life sentence.

The nightmare is over, yet not at all. In fact, for her, it's just beginning.

Every night she has terrible nightmares. Sometimes it's the one she had tonight, sometimes it's a replay of the crime, and sometimes it's something else. Most of the time, she'll force herself to go through it alone, not wanting to bother anyone.

Other times, like this one, she calls her best friend.

Her whole body is trembling as she dials his number. It rings twice before he picks up. "Ally?"

She inhales, shakily. "H-hey, Austin. C-can..."

She doesn't even need to complete her question. "I'll be right over," he says, his voice now awake and alert. The line goes dead, and she sets down her phone before wrapping her arms around herself and leaning back against the wall.

She glances to the left and sees a little huddle of stuffed animals in the corner. She had been long finished sleeping with them, but after what she saw, she started sleeping with them again, finding that they help calm her down. She reaches over and grabs a penguin stuffed animal and hugs it to her chest, burying her nose in its soft head fur.

Soon, there's a change in the shadows on her floor, outlining a lean figure. As usual, she jumps, but when a soft knock sounds on her window, she forces herself up and creeps over to the window.

Austin is standing on a thick tree branch, waiting to be let in. His blonde hair is even more tousled than usual, he's wearing a rumpled pair of sweatpants and a grey sweatshirt, and he looks like he just rolled out of bed- which he did. His chocolate brown eyes are dark with worry and watch her warily as she slowly unlocks her window and lifts it up to let him in. He easily jumps in, and she shuts the window behind him, re-locking it.

He surveys her room once. It's been a nervous habit of his ever since she started calling him at night, needing someone to help her through it. Once he's satisfied that no one else is here, he turns to her.

She's shivering in her capri-length sweatpants and red tank top, so he sheds his sweatshirt, leaving him in only a white tank top, and slips it over her head. It's much too big for her, but she's used to it because he almost always does this.

She slips her arms into the sleeves and has to roll them up a bit because they're too long. She then directs her attention to Austin, who's watching her with an unreadable expression his face. Without saying a word, he wraps her up in hug, lifts her off her feet, and then sits on her bed, setting her down on his lap. She moves her stuffed animals to the side, and he slides into the corner, resting his head against the wall.

Silently, they sit there, with her curled up against his chest and his back against the wall. His arms are wrapped around her securely, and her face is currently buried in the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar scent of summer breezes.

Finally, she starts. "I-it... It was the one where... where th-they try to slit my th-throat..."

He sighs, tilting his head down so that he can kiss the top of her head. Because of the many times he's done this, she doesn't even blush. Instead, she begins to cry.

"Hey," he whispers, gently. "Don't cry, Alls. I'm here for you, okay? I'm not going to leave..."

She believes him, but still, she holds onto him just a little tighter. Just a little.

He threads his fingers through her soft hair, wondering what he should do now. Normally, he just whispers comforting words to her, but he doesn't want to do that tonight. He wants to do something different.

"Why don't I tell you a story?" He asks, quietly, feeling slightly nervous. This story will either help her or give her more stress, and he's really hoping for the former not the latter.

She nods, her eyes already fluttering shut. "Okay... Tell me a story..."

He takes a deep breath before starting. "There was once a boy and a girl." He pauses, and she considers telling him that he forgot the 'once upon a time,' but decides not to. Maybe he meant to do that.

"They were polar opposites. When they met, she was like a drizzle of darkness, and he was like a ray of sunshine."

He meant to omit the 'once upon a time.'

"Eventually, the boy got her to open up to him, and while she was still serious and kind of a pushover-" here, she snorts, and he cracks a smile, "-she turned out to be as sunshiney as he was."

"That's not a word," she mumbles against his neck, sending a shiver up his spine. Sure, it's not like she's whispering sweet nothings against his neck, but still.

"Shh," he shushes her, softly, when he gets over his momentary lapse in concentration. "Let me continue."

"Fine."

"One day, she witnessed something terrible. She called him from the police station, and as soon as she explained what had happened, he rushed over. And, as he did, he recalled every close moment they shared and thought about how they would have all been tainted if something had happened to the girl.

"The first one that was really noticeable was when the boy tried to get her recognition by playing her song on a radio show. It didn't work out as planned, but later, he got his first hug from her. The other ones were all either a hug/handshake hybrid that didn't work out, or he was all orange and sweaty."

She giggles, remembering the time when he made himself orange and sweaty just so that she would stop having a crush on him (which, actually, wasn't real).

"The next time was a bit later when she was being picked on by some mean girls. He stood up for her and then hugged her afterward, telling her that she was the greatest despite whatever they said.

"There was a string of these situations, where he would stand up for her and then comfort her afterward. There were also littler occasions, like when their hands brushed while they played the piano or when he would sneak in a kiss on the top of her head when no one was looking.

"He got to the police station and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go. She told him how horrible it was, and he comforted her, telling her that he would protect her from ever seeing anything like that again. He's still determined to do that despite the challenges."

Nervously, he takes a deep breath, just like he did at the start of the story. "She started calling him at night, needing someone to comfort her. On one of these nights where they fell to sleep holding each other, he finally admitted his true feelings for the girl to himself."

Her eyes widen, and she leans back to look at him. He just stares down at her, hints of nervousness flashing in his eyes.

"He realized that he was in love with her."

She gasps, and he winces, looking away.

"He knew it was true, and he had been avoiding it for a long time, afraid of what might happen if he faced the truth. This love, though, wasn't instant, of course. It developed gradually over the time he got to know her. From that first hug to the little touches on the piano to holding hands while bungee jumping-it all contributed to this love.

"He was also afraid of what would happen if she found out, so he kept it to himself. He was afraid of losing her. He really hopes that he doesn't."

Stunned, she just stares up at him. He slowly meets her gaze again and winces at the stunned look on her face. "I'm sorry, Ally. I didn't mean to freak you out. Do you want me to go? Because I-"

Suddenly, he's cut off by her putting a finger up to his lips. His eyes widen, and he can only stare down at her in shock as she whispers, "Stop. It's okay."

Then she says something that really shocks him. "I'm in love with you too. I'm in love with you for all the reasons you've already said and because you're, well... you."

Still staring down at her, he whispers, "I love you."

The words are like music to her ears. "I love you too."

His eyes close as he absorbs the words. She loves him too.

So, naturally, he leans down and captures her lips in a slow, gentle kiss.

Yes, she's broken on the inside from what she witnessed, and yes, he worries about her a lot. But he has the pieces to put her back together, and she has the ability to keep him sane.

And that's really all they need, right?